Method for controlling foam production in reduced pressure fining

ABSTRACT

A method for controlling the foam produced when a molten material encounters reduced pressure in a vacuum chamber includes passing the molten material through an aging zone in the vacuum chamber in which the molten material is allowed to drain from between the bubbles of the foam and then collapsing the bubbles of the drained foam.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention relates generally to reduced pressure fining, a processfor removing trapped bubbles in molten material, e.g., molten glass.More specifically, the invention relates to a method for controlling thefoam produced when the molten material encounters reduced pressure in areduced pressure finer.

2. Background Art

In industrial glassmaking, a glass batch is made by mixing in blenders avariety of raw materials obtained from properly sized, cleaned, andtreated materials that have been pre-analyzed for impurity. Recycledglass called cullet may also be mixed with the raw materials. For themost commonly produced soda-lime glass, these raw materials includesilica (SiO₂), soda (Na₂O), lime (CaO), and various other chemicalcompounds. The soda serves as a flux to lower the temperature at whichthe silica melts, and the lime acts as a stabilizer for the silica. Atypical soda-lime glass is composed of about seventy percent silica,fifteen percent soda, and nine percent lime, with much smaller amountsof the various other chemical compounds. The glass batch is conveyed toa “doghouse”, which is a hopper at the back of the melting chamber of aglass melting furnace. The glass batch may be lightly moistened todiscourage segregation of the ingredients by vibrations of the conveyorsystem or may be pressed into pellets or briquettes to improve contactbetween the particles.

The glass batch is inserted into the melting chamber by mechanizedshovels, screw conveyors, or blanket feeders. The heat required to meltthe glass batch may be generated using natural gas, oil, or electricity.However, electric melting is by far the most energy efficient and cleanmethod because it introduces the heat where needed and eliminates theproblem of batch materials being carried away with the flue gases. Toensure that the composition of the molten glass is homogenousthroughout, the molten glass is typically stirred together in aconditioning chamber that is equipped with mechanical mixers or nitrogenor air bubblers. The molten glass is then carried in a set of narrowchannels, called forehearth, to the forming machines. In the meltingchamber, large quantities of gas can be generated by the decompositionof the raw materials in the batch. These gases, together with trappedair, form bubbles in the molten glass. Large bubbles rise to thesurface, but, especially as the glass becomes more viscous, smallbubbles are trapped in the molten glass in such numbers that theythreaten the quality of the final product. For products requiring highquality glass, e.g., optical lenses, television panels, and liquidcrystal displays, the trapped bubbles are removed from the molten glassprior to feeding the molten glass into the forming machines.

The process of removing bubbles from molten glass is called fining. Onemethod for fining glass involves adding various materials known asfining agents to the glass batch prior to mixing in the blenders. Theprimary purpose of the fining agents is to release gas in the moltenglass when the molten glass is at the proper fining temperature. Thereleased gas then diffuses into gas bubbles in the molten glass. As thebubbles become larger, their relative buoyancy increases, causing themto rise to the surface of the molten glass where they are released. Thespeed at which the bubbles move through the molten glass may beincreased by reducing the viscosity of the molten glass, and theviscosity of the molten glass can be reduced by increasing thetemperature of the molten glass. An effective fining agent foratmospheric pressure, glass melting and fining processes should be ableto release a large amount of fining gases as the temperature of themolten glass is increased to the temperature range where the viscosityof the molten glass is sufficiently low, i.e., 1300° C. to 1500° C. forsoda-lime glass. Examples of fining agents that are suitable for usewith soda-lime glass are arsenic oxide (As₂O₃) and antimony oxide(Sb₂O₃). These fining agents are, however, detrimental to theenvironment and require careful handling.

Another method for fining glass involves passing the molten glassthrough a low pressure zone to cause the bubbles in the molten glass toexpand and rise quickly to the surface of the glass. This process istypically referred to as reduced pressure fining or vacuum fining. Thereare various configurations of reduced pressure finers. U.S. Pat. No.5,849,058 to Takeshita et al. discloses the general structure of asiphon-type reduced pressure finer. The reduced pressure finer, as shownin FIG. 1, includes a vacuum vessel 1 disposed in vacuum housing 2. Thevacuum vessel 1 has one end connected to an uprising pipe 3 and anotherend connected to a downfalling pipe 4. The uprising pipe 3 and thedownfalling pipe 4 are made of platinum, a material that can withstandthe high temperature of the molten glass and that is not easilycorroded. The vacuum vessel 1, the uprising pipe 3, and the downfallingpipe 4 are heated by electricity. An insulating material 5 is providedaround the vacuum vessel 1, the uprising pipe 3, and the downfallingpipe 4. Typically, the insulating material 5 consists generally ofinsulating bricks and doubles as a structural support for the uprisingpipe 3 and the downfalling pipe 4. The bottom ends of the uprising pipe3 and the downfalling pipe 4 that are not connected to the vacuum vessel1 extend through the vacuum housing 2 into the storage vessels 6 and 7,respectively. The storage vessel 1 is connected to receive molten glassfrom a glass melting furnace (not shown).

Flow of molten glass through the uprising pipe 3, the vacuum vessel 1,and the downfalling pipe 4 follows the siphon principle. Accordingly,the liquid surface of the molten glass in the vacuum vessel 1 is higherthan the liquid surface of the molten glass in the storage vessel 6, andthe pressure in the vacuum vessel 1 is lower than the pressure in thestorage vessel 6. The pressure in the vacuum vessel 1 is related to theelevation of the liquid surface of the molten glass in the vacuum vessel1 with respect to the liquid surface of the molten glass in the storagevessel 6. The height of the liquid surface of the molten glass in vacuumvessel 1 with respect to the liquid surface of the molten glass in thestorage vessel 6 is set based on the desired fining pressure and therate at which molten glass is flowing into the vacuum vessel 1. Themolten glass with the trapped bubbles is transferred from the glassmelting furnace (not shown) into the storage vessel 6. Because thepressure in the vacuum vessel 1 is less than the pressure in the storagevessel 6, the molten glass in the storage vessel 6 rises through theuprising pipe 3 into the vacuum vessel 1. The pressure in the vacuumvessel 1 is brought to reduced pressure condition of less than theatmospheric pressure, typically {fraction (1/20)} to ⅓ atmosphericpressure. As the molten glass passes through the vacuum vessel 1 andencounters the reduced pressure, the bubbles in the molten glass expandand quickly rise to the surface of the molten glass. The refined glassdescends into the storage vessel 7 through the downfalling pipe 4.

Foam is produced in the headspace 8 as the molten glass encounters thereduced pressure in the vacuum vessel 1. The headspace 8 must either belarge enough to contain the foam, or the foam must be controlled, toprevent equipment flooding and other process upsets and qualityproblems. In large scale processes, it is usually not practical to makethe headspace 8 big enough to contain the foam, especially because theheadspace 8 must be maintained airtight. U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,153 issuedto Schwenninger et al. discloses a method for controlling foam thatincludes providing a burner in the headspace. Schwenninger et al. in the'153 patent disclose that the heat from the burner reduces the viscosityof the foam and increases the volume of the bubbles of the foam, causingthe bubbles to burst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,860 issued to Welton disclosesa foam control method that includes applying agents to the foam, whichcause coalescence of the bubbles and/or interrupt the surface tension inthe bubble membranes so that the bubbles burst. Examples of foambreaking agents include water, alkali metal compounds such as sodiumhydroxide or sodium carbonate, alcohol, and fuel oil. U.S. Pat. No.4,849,004 issued to Schwenninger et al. discloses a foam control methodthat includes suddenly changing the pressure in the headspace so as todisrupt the bubble membranes of the foam, thereby bursting a substantialportion of the bubbles and expediting collapse of the foam. A suddensurge of low pressure is used to expand the foam bubbles beyond theirlimit of elasticity, at which point they break. The pressure surges maybe applied at intervals of several minutes, and the duration of thepressure surges may be on the order of a few seconds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a method for controlling the foamproduced when a molten material encounters reduced pressure in a vacuumchamber. The method includes passing the molten material through anaging zone in the vacuum chamber, wherein the molten material is allowedto drain from between the bubbles of the foam, and breaking the bubblesof the drained foam. In another aspect, the method includes allowing thefoam to flow from the vacuum chamber into a foam chamber separate fromthe vacuum chamber. In yet another aspect, the method includes allowingthe molten material to flow into the vacuum chamber through an inclinedconduit, wherein the bubbles in the molten material collect on a surfaceof the inclined conduit as the molten material flows through theinclined conduit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the general structure of a siphon-type reduced pressurefiner.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a reduced pressure finer.

FIG. 3 illustrates how foam density changes with time.

FIG. 4 illustrates how fragility of the foam increases with time.

FIG. 5A is a schematic illustration of a rotating cone.

FIG. 5B is a schematic illustration of a rotating bar.

FIG. 6 shows a gas jet impinging on a glass/foam surface.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show different embodiments of foam chambers.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show reduced pressure finers with inclined risers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a siphon-type reduced pressurefiner 10 suitable for removing bubbles trapped in molten glass or othermolten material. There are other types of reduced pressure finerconfigurations that may be suitable for use with the invention, see, forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,122 issued to Schwenninger et al. whichdiscloses a non-siphon-type reduced pressure finer. The reduced pressurefiner 10 includes a vacuum housing 12 which has an inlet end 14 and anoutlet end 16. The vacuum housing 12 is maintained in a substantiallyairtight condition by providing seals 20, 22 at the inlet end 14 and theoutlet end 16, respectively. A finer chamber 24 is mounted inside thevacuum housing 12. The finer chamber 24 is encased in refractoryinsulation 25. The finer chamber 24 is usually heated by means ofelectricity, and, at least, the bottom portion 27 of the finer chamber24 that comes in contact with the molten glass is lined with or made ofa material that has a high melting point and that is corrosionresistant, e.g., platinum or platinum alloy.

A riser tube 28 rises from the inlet end 14 of the vacuum housing 12 toan inlet port 30 in the finer chamber 24, and a descender tube 32descends from an outlet port 34 in the finer chamber 24 to the outletend 16 of the vacuum housing 12. Typically, the tubes 28, 32 are made ofa material such as platinum or platinum alloy. Like the finer chamber24, the tubes 28, 32 are also heated. Refractory insulation 33, 35 areprovided around the tubes 28, 32 to minimize heat loss from the tubes28, 32 and provide structural support to the tubes 28, 32. The materialused to construct the tubes 28, 32 expands, but at a different rate thanthe refractory insulation 33, 35 around the tubes 28, 32. Thus,maintaining a reliable seal at the inlet end 14 and the outlet end 16,where the tubes 28, 32 exit the vacuum housing 12, is difficult. U.S.application Ser. No. 09/606,953, entitled “Tubing System for ReducedPressure Fining,” filed Jun. 29, 2000 by R. W. Palmquist, discloses asuitable method for sealing the inlet and outlet ends of the vacuumhousing while accommodating expansion of the tubes and the refractoryinsulation around the tubes.

In a typical glass fining process, the tubes 28, 32 and the finerchamber 24 are heated to a selected temperature, e.g., 1400° C. Moltenglass from a glass melting furnace 36 then flows into the riser tube 28through a conduit 38. A valve (not shown) may be provided to control therate at which molten glass is transferred into the riser tube 28, thusmaking it possible to control the pressure in the finer chamber 24. Astir chamber or storage vessel 42 that is connected to the outlet end 16of the vacuum housing 12 is also preheated to a selected temperature,e.g., 1400° C., and recycled glass, also known as cullet, is fed intothe stir chamber 42 and allowed to melt until the level of glass in thestir chamber 42 reaches the outlet end 44 of the descender tube 32. Oncethe outlet end 44 of the descender tube 32 is immersed in molten glass,the pressure in the finer chamber 24 is slowly reduced so that moltenglass is drawn into the finer chamber 24 through the tubes 28, 32. Thepressure in the finer chamber 24 may be reduced by using a vacuum pump(not shown) to draw air out of the finer chamber 24. While glass isdrawn into the finer chamber 24, more cullet may be melted in the stirchamber 42 to ensure that the outlet end 44 of the descender tube 32remains immersed in molten glass. Once the molten glass in the finerchamber 24 reaches the desired level, flow through the reduced pressurefiner 10 is started by drawing glass out of the stir chamber 42.

During operation, molten glass flows through the reduced pressure finer10 like a siphon. The pressure in the finer chamber 24 is reduced belowatmospheric pressure to encourage expansion of the bubbles trapped inthe molten glass. To achieve a desired sub-atmospheric pressure in thefiner chamber 24, the surface 46 of the glass in the finer chamber 24 iselevated a predetermined height above the surface 48 of the glass in theglass melting furnace 36. When the molten glass enters the finer chamber24 and encounters the reduced sub-atmospheric pressure in the finerchamber 24, the trapped bubbles in the molten glass rapidly expand andmove to the surface 46 of the glass. It is important to select anappropriate length for the finer chamber 24 that will allow adequateresidence time for the trapped bubbles in the glass to rise to the glasssurface 46 and break. It is also important that a headspace 50 above theglass surface 46 is provided to accommodate the layer of foam 45generated as a result of the rapidly expanding bubbles moving to theglass surface 46. The foam 45 created during the fining process ispersistent and can quickly occupy all available space if not controlled.A baffle plate 49 is positioned near the outlet port 34 of the finerchamber 24 to keep foam out of the descender tube 32.

The foam 45 that is newly created as the molten glass G encounters thereduced pressure in the finer chamber 24 is resilient and dense. Thisnewly created foam 45 may contain as much as 50% glass. However, asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the resiliency and density of the foam 45decreases with time as the foam 45 moves along the finer chamber 24 andthe glass drains from the foam back into the molten glass G beneath it.Old foam 45 may contain as little as 5-10% glass. As the foam 45 becomesmore fragile, it becomes easier to break the foam. For example, asdemonstrated in FIG. 4, when the foam 45 is allowed to age for 10minutes, foam breakers can be applied to the foam 45 for a duration ofabout 2.5 minutes to obtain a reduction in foam height of about 0.25inches. However, when the foam 45 is allowed to age for 30 minutes, foambreakers can be applied to the foam 45 for the same duration to obtain areduction in foam height of about 2 inches, a seven-fold reduction infoam height for the same 2.5-minute foam breaking action. The inventionincludes providing a foam aging zone 52 in the finer chamber 24 thatallows the foam 45 to “age” or drain for a critical time before breakingthe foam. Foam breakers 54 are then applied at the end of the foam agingzone 52 to break the foam 45. The foam breakers 54 are inserted throughports 55 in the finer chamber 24.

In one embodiment, the foam breakers 54 are mechanical rotators, e.g.,the rotating cone 56 (shown in FIG. 5A) and the rotating bar 58 (shownin FIG. 5B). These rotators stretch and rupture the foams. The rotatingcone 56 (shown in FIG. 5A) includes an inverted cone 59 that is mountedat the end of a rod 60. The angle α of the cone is steep, e.g., 70°, tominimize outward flinging of the glass, which would create bubbles anewwhen it hits the side walls of the finer chamber 24 and recombines withthe molten glass G. Because the influence of a rotator is confinedmainly to an area of the same diameter as the rotator, multiple ormoving rotators are needed to treat larger or non-circular areas offoam. The number and placement of the rotators are determined by thefining and foaming behavior of the glass and the amount of shearingrequired to break the foam. Of course, based on the fining and foamingbehavior of the glass, the length of the aging zone 52 should beselected such that when the rotators are applied to the foam 45 at theend of the aging zone 52, the desired rapid breaking of the foam 45 isachieved.

The foam breakers 54 could also be nozzles which produce gas jets. FIG.6 shows an example of a nozzle 63 that includes two concentric tubes 62,64. The inner tube 62 is connected to a gas source (not shown), and theouter tube 64 is connected to an another gas source (not shown). Thegases exit the nozzle 62, 64 in form of a jet 65, which then impinges onthe foam 45. The impact force of the gas jet 65 as it impinges on thefoam 45 breaks the foam 45. In one embodiment, the gas flowing throughthe inner tube 62 is hydrogen, and the gas flowing through the outertube 64 is oxygen. The flow rates of the hydrogen and oxygen gases areappropriately selected so that the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen isoutside of a range in which stable flames are formed. Under optimumconditions, the jet 65 mechanically breaks the foam 45 without loweringthe foam temperature or heating the foam. Heating the foam 45 wouldcause thermal reboil of the foam and create new bubbles and foam. Itshould be clear, however, that the nozzle 63 shown in FIG. 6 is just oneexample of a nozzle that may be used to produce a gas jet. Othersuitable nozzle configurations may be selected based on the desireddepth and area of penetration of the jet 65. Also, the gas (or gases)used in producing the gas jet 65 does not have to be combustible.Preferably, the gas (or gases) used in producing the gas jet 65 can bere-adsorbed into the glass when the molten glass G is later cooled downand returned to atmospheric pressure.

The gas jet 65 may be applied to the foam 45 in pulses to reduce theamount of gas required to produce the jet and to extend the area ofpenetration of the jet. That is, instead of continuously supplying thefuel and oxygen to the nozzle 63, the fuel and oxygen can be supplied tothe nozzle 63 at predetermined intervals. These predetermined intervalsmay have varying lengths depending on the rate at which the foam isproduced and the fragility of the foam at the area of penetration of thejet. Alternatively, multiple nozzles can be positioned across the widthand down the length of the foam surface to distribute the breakingforce. The multiple nozzles may produce pulsed jets. The pulses can begenerated at different times in a pattern that will break the foam andprevent the foam from circumventing a single jet area. The nozzles mayalso be rotated and moved across the foam. Alternatively, the foambreakers 54 may be gas sprays in which particles of materials such asmolybdenum, silica, or cullet particles are dispersed. The more massiveliquid/solid particles in the gas sprays would impart a higher impactforce to break the foams than the particle-free gas jets. The materialsdispersed in the gas sprays are selected to be readily incorporated inthe glass without producing bubbles or other defects.

FIG. 7 illustrates another method for controlling the volume of foam 45in the headspace 50. The method includes allowing the foam 45 in theheadspace 50 to flow into a separate foam chamber 68, which is disposedwithin a vacuum housing 70 and maintained at the same pressure as thefiner chamber 24. The glass between the bubbles of the foam 72 in thefoam chamber 68 drains through an outlet port 74 in the foam chamber 68.A foam breaking device may be employed at the outlet end 76 of the foamchamber 68 to break the foam 72 after the foam has adequately “aged” ordrained. Any of the previously discussed foam breakers 54 (shown inFIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6) may be used. It should be noted that the glasssurface 78 in the foam chamber 52 will be about the same as the glasssurface 46 in the finer chamber 24. The glass draining through theoutlet port 74 can be directed back into the riser tube 28, or may bedirected into a storage vessel (not shown) and later recycled throughthe glass melting furnace (not shown) as cullet. To avoid large capitalexpenditures, the foam chamber 68 may be made out of atemperature-resistant refractory such as alumina instead of a preciousmetal such as platinum.

Instead of allowing the glass between the bubbles of the foam 72 todrain through the outlet port 74, the glass can be cooled and crushed.The crushed glass can be recycled through the glass melting furnace (notshown) or used in any application that calls for cullet. FIG. 8 shows afoam chamber 80 that can be used to cool and crush glass. The foamchamber 80 has an inlet port 82 for receiving foam from the finerchamber 24. A set of chilled rollers 84 is mounted at the upper section86 of the foam chamber 80. The chilled rollers 84 are provided to cooland crush the foam 72 received at the inlet port 82. The fine grainedcullet 88, i.e., crushed glass, produced by the chilled rollers 84settles to the bottom of the foam chamber 80. The cullet 88 may beperiodically collected by opening a gate 90 at the bottom of the foamchamber 80. Before opening the gate 90, another gate 92 above the gate90 is closed to keep the cullet that is being produced by the chilledrollers 84 from dropping to the bottom of the foam chamber 80. The gate92 is again opened and the gate 90 is closed after collecting the cullet88. A purge gas 94 may be blown into the conduit 96, which connects thefiner chamber 24 to the foam chamber 80, to assist in moving the foam 72into the foam chamber 80. An outlet port 98 is provided in the foamchamber 80 through which the purge gas 94 may exit the foam chamber 80.

FIG. 9 illustrates another method for controlling the volume of foam 45in the headspace 50. The method includes inclining the riser tube 28with respect to the vertical so that a separation of bubbles from themolten glass occurs as the molten glass flows into the finer chamber 24.This allows the glass to be delivered to the finer chamber 24 relativelyfree of bubbles. In addition, the bubbles, because of their collectionat the top 100 of the riser tube 28, have had an increased opportunityto coalesce. This increased bubble size aids the breaking of the foam 45in the finer chamber 24. As shown in FIG. 10, a standpipe 102 can beadded to the riser tube 28 to remove the bubbles at the top 100 of theriser tube 28 completely from the molten glass. The standpipe 102 isplaced so that it rises above the glass line 46 in the finer chamber 24.The atmosphere over the standpipe 102 is at the same pressure as thefiner chamber 24. Alternatively, the standpipe 102 could be placed at alower elevation, that is, closer to the inlet end of the riser tube 28.In this case, the glass line in the standpipe 102 would be below theglass line 46 in the finer chamber 24. This would require that theatmosphere over the standpipe 102 be controlled at some higher pressurein order to maintain the glass level in the finer chamber 24. Oneadvantage of using a standpipe is that the bubbles are removed from themolten glass at multiple points, accomplishing more separation. Anotheradvantage is that the foam collected in the standpipe 102 can besubjected to more severe foam breaking measures than can be carried outin the finer chamber 24. The methods described above may be used tocontrol the foam in the finer chamber 24.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited numberof embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that otherembodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of theinvention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the inventionshould be limited only by the attached claims.

1. A method for controlling the foam produced when a molten materialencounters reduced pressure in a vacuum chamber, comprising: passing themolten material through the vacuum chamber; and using a mechanicalrotator to stretch, rupture and reduce foam on the molten materialwithin the vacuum chamber, wherein said mechanical rotator is positionedwithin the vacuum chamber at a location where molten material hasalready started to drain from between bubbles in the foam on top of themolten material.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mechanicalrotator includes a rotating cone at an end of a rod.
 3. A method forcontrolling the foam produced when a molten material encounters reducedpressure in a vacuum chamber, comprising: passing the molten materialthrough the vacuum chamber; and using a nozzle that emits a gas jetincluding a first gas and a second gas, wherein the gas jet ruptures andreduces foam on the molten material within the vacuum chamber.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein said nozzle emits a gas jet which containsparticulates that further help rupture and reduce foam on the moltenmaterial.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein said nozzle is a rotatingnozzle.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein said nozzle emits a pulsed gasjet.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein said gas jet is adsorbed in themolten material.
 8. The method of claim 3, wherein said nozzle ispositioned within the vacuum chamber at a location where molten materialhas already started to drain from between bubbles in the foam on top ofthe molten material.
 9. A method for controlling the foam produced whena molten material encounters reduced pressure in a vacuum chamber,comprising: passing the molten material through the vacuum chamber; andusing a nozzle that emits a gas jet which ruptures and reduces foam onthe molten material within the vacuum chamber, wherein said nozzle ismade from two concentric tubes where one tube emits oxygen and the othertube emits hydrogen to form the gas jet.